Life as an entrepreneur has its perks. Your kid is sick? You don’t have to beg your boss for time off. And if he or she says no, you don’t have to give your kid cold medicine and hope it brings the fever down enough that the school nurse won’t call you.
You can take four weeks of vacation in your first year of business. You can work in your pajamas. You can work at 3 a.m. You can choose to not work on Mondays simply because you don’t like them. Depending on your job, you might even be able to work while having cocktails with friends. Being an entrepreneur truly is the most amazing thing ever. And if you’re not enjoying the many perks, you probably need a virtual assistant.
Here’s the thing. A virtual assistant can take over when you unplug for the evening or when you bring your sick kid to the doctor. They can man the ship while you’re soaking up the sun on a beach. They can keep things moving along in your business while you’re having fun on a Friday. They can respond to all of your messages on social media and email while you’re eating bon bons on the couch streaming the latest season of House of Cards because you need a “mental health” day. They’ve got this. I can’t think of any administrative task a VA cannot do. But they can only do it if you hire them.
Think you can’t afford a VA? Think again. By the time you pay all of those payroll taxes and unemployment insurance and other benefits, you’re going to pay an employee a LOT more. You’ll need to hire an HR consultant to create an employee handbook so you’ll have some legal protection should — knock on wood — an employee take you to court (a special thanks to my HR buddies for all of the strange stories they’ve shared.) Remember you’ll need to supply your employee with equipment as well – a computer, a desk, a chair…wait…you know you’ll need a building for your employee to work in, right? And that building has to have heat and electric and plumbing. Now that you’ve purchased all of that, you’ll need to at least guarantee part time hours if you want to get more than one applicant.
So let’s recap:
- For as few as 5 hours a week, a virtual assistant can do the same things as an in-house employee;
- A VA will give you more freedom and flexibility in your business;
- A virtual assistant costs less in the long run than an employee.
You knew that though because you’re a savvy entrepreneur reading this from your beach chair while your VA is lining up next week’s meetings, right?
As always, thanks for reading.
Until next time,
Angie
P.S: What? You don’t have a virtual assistant yet? Why the heck not? Call me. I’ll send you a lifeline.
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